Hello everyone,
with the Orila cybernetic variants now added to the mod, the previous project has been concluded.
Work has now begun on the Broken Clock aliens, starting with the molluscoid version.
For this I already showed the sketch, derega made back in spring. We already have some more refined pictures as well. So, to give you an impression of this portraits evolution from sketch to not so final work in progress - where we currently are - lets go through the pictures.
Original sketch:
First draft:
In this first version the inside of the foursided maw is still empty. The way this alien is meant to hunt and feast on its prey, is by holding it in place with the four beaks spread outwards and then closing in on its victim, while the "thing" on the inside is doing its job. For this to work, the inside of the beaks cannot stay smooth. Something keep a tight hold is needed, that at the same time allows for an easy disengagement.
Second draft:
This variant was quickly discarded as these teeth would make it practically impossible to close up the foursided head.
Instead we went for an alternative approach and looked at nature for inspiration:
Looks pretty horrifying, doesn't it? It's just the tongue of a cat upclose though. In any case, this is what we are going for.
Third draft:
As you can see, there have been quite a few changes compared to the previous version. The more grey-brownish parts are meant to be hardened exoskeleton pieces, while the more reddish-brown pieces are flexible, fleshy parts.
The "thing" inside the maw has been changed to a kind of stinger. It is meant to be used to inject toxin into its prey and at the same time to then suck out the liquified innards from its victim. The not yet painted tentacles are intended to serve a similar role as the head, but in more of a supporting role in holding and feeding of its prey.
Each individual alien of this kind is a hivemind of its own, consisting of multiple layers of specialized starfish-like segments. The rough idea behind it is it being the result of a mutation that prevented a complete fission of the original "starfish" alien and led to a still connected colony of semi-autonomous organisms that evolved to the current form.
So far the current state of the Brocken Clock portrait for the moment.
Since the goal for the three Brocken Clock portraits has been reached with quite a bit of an overhang, I started a poll, which project to tackle next, after these are done. The original poll had a big drawback however, which I noticed too late. Only a limited number of results could be displayed in the free version.
So I had to create a new poll, this time with google forms, to avoid the same issue. This time the two leading results from the initial poll are available to choose from. In order to vote you will need to be logged in with a google account (no other way to prevent multiple votes), I apologize for the inconvenience. I would be very happy about you casting your votes though, especially our donaters without whom these portraits would not be possible.
Here the link to the vote: https://forms.gle/9sb6hDyUseqwHrWS8
Thank you all for taking your time!
See you again in the next update!